Improvements to roads, schools discussed in "State of the City" speech

An increase in property taxes for Bowie residents could come down the road if the city is to continue its level of services, Mayor G. Frederick Robinson said Wednesday morning in his annual "State of the City" speech at the Bowie Senior Center.

The city has not raised the residential property taxes since 2010.

"While keeping taxes flat is our goal, we must take a responsible look at this year's budget and examine all options to maintain our financial stability," he said. "Given the nature of the economy, we may not be able to continue indefinitely without a property tax increase.

"We are committed to excellence in the delivery of core services and to keeping a watchful eye on the bottom line."

The process of putting together the budget for the next fiscal year has already begun for members of the city staff. That will be followed by public hearings and ultimately adoption of the budget late in the spring.

"We've got to look at short-term and long-term financial stability," Robinson said after his speech. "That may mean this year or next — or next — we have may to go back and start incremental (increases). The last thing we want to do is damage our financial reserves or hurt our operating budget."

Last spring, the city adopted a balanced budget of $52.8 million, with one-quarter of the money devoted to public works and public safety.

Robinson also talked about the need for more funding for roads from the state. The oft-discussed and long-delayed Route 197 widening project is funded for design in the state budget through 2020, but there is not money yet for right-of-way acquisition or construction.

He also cited the need for improvements to Route 450, which he described as "already overcrowded." The road was widened from near the Capital Beltway out to Superior Lane in Bowie, but not further. City officials would like to see the road, which has been dubbed "Bowie's Main Street," widened all the way to Route 3, near the Prince George's-Anne Arundel County line.

"It is imperative that improvements to Maryland (Route) 450 are funded now, rather than in the future," he said.

Robinson also called on county officials to provide more funding for local schools and create better conditions in Bowie's classrooms. Almost all of the public schools in Bowie were built during the city's population boom in the 1960s and are showing their age, he said.

The lack of heating in classrooms has been a particular problem of late in several schools in the city. Many parents would like a second high school built in the city — perhaps in South Bowie — which would ease overcrowding at 50-year-old Bowie High School.

"It is past time for new and continued investment in our schools to make them first-class centers of learning and to attract new families to Bowie," Robinson said. "Children and educators should never have to worry about whether the heat will work in their classrooms or that the bathrooms will function. There are basic needs in these buildings that are simply not being met, and that must change."

Robinson also re-stated the city's interest in purchasing the Bowie Race Track, which the owners of the property have virtually abandoned. State Sen. Doug Peters, who lives in Bowie, has introduced a bill aimed at compelling the Stronach Group, which owns the property and has let it languish, to sell it to the city to be used for recreation purposes or for open space.

"For the last several years, we have worked with the state to purchase the Bowie Race Track property for recreational purposes," he said. "The property owners have not been inclined to sell, but we continue to work to control what happens at this environmentally sensitive gateway to our city."